Dispenser with cutting means for rolls of wrapping film



May 5, 1970 w. J. CASKEY ET L I 3,510,034

DISPENSER WITH CUTTING MEANS FOR ROLLS 0F WRAPPING FILM Filed Jan. 4. 1968 WILLIAM J. CASKEY,

rv/LL/nMJ. BURKE,

United States Patent DISPENSER WITH CUTTING MEANS FOR ROLLS OF WRAPPING FILM William J. Caskey and William J. Burke, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Speed Equipment Incorporated, St. Louis,

Mo, a corporation of Missouri Filed Jan. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 695,760 Int. Cl. B261? 3/02 US. Cl. 225-77 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for rolls of plastic film having roll supporting means and a specially formed serrator for cutting the plastic film. The dispenser is comprised of a trough sup porting the roll of plastic film with a tray-like extension of the trough extending above it with a perpendicular serrated cutting edge. The particular configuration of the tray-like extension, which supports the web of film as it is pulled away from the roll of film, facilitates the cutting of the web. The tray may have an angled end portion extending out at an angle from the main body portion of the tray-like extension to facilitate tearing of long sheets. The tray is further provided with oppositely cut-out portions at the angled extension to provide for ready finding and grasping of the extended film web.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The instant invention relates to dispensing means for receiving and dispensing and tearing off sheets of wrapping film from a roll of film material. Cutting or serrated edge separating means are provided on the dispenser for cutting the sheets and tearing them ofif at any desired lengths. The dispenser is adapted for usage in any area where wrapping made of plastic material is desired to be employed, such as industrial locations, institutions, super markets, domestic usages, and the like. Although the invention is primarily directed to dispensing and cutting means for rolls of plastic film of the cling type, it will be understood that it may also be used for cutting other types of roll or web material.

In the past various dispenser boxes and other types of dispensing means have been provided for cutting rolls of plastic film using a serrated edge. Problems have been encountered due to the difliculty in tearing and presenting the proper angle and relationship of the film with respect to the dispenser. Also problems have been encountered in finding the end of the web film after a sheet of material has been torn off. All of these problems have been detrimental to the provision of a dispenser having efiicient and simple means for tearing ofi sheets of material at the desired lengths.

Through this invention, there has been provided a dispenser having a dispenser tray in trough form which receives the roll of plastic material. An extension of the tray provides a rest for the web of material as it is drawn away, and an angled extension having a perpendicular serrated cutting edge provides the proper relationship for the tear off of the extended web for tearing long sheets of material. It is this perpendicular relationship that provides for the simple tearing of the material as it is pressured against the tooth-like serrated edge. In addition, there are provided cut-out openings on the angled extension of the tray adjacent the serrated edge, which aids in finding the end of the film so that it can be pulled out in the next tearing operation.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment thereof. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan View of the dispenser;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation taken from the right side of FIG. 1 showing the web extended over the serrated cutting edge and ready for tearing; I

FIG. 3 is a view in front elevation of the dispenser;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3 and showing the end of the web extended over the serrated cutting edge ready for tearing;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the serrated cutting edge;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the right side of the dispenser and the beginning of the tearing or cutting of the extended web of film;

FIG. 7 is a separate plan view of a roll of film with the web extended and a torn-off sheet;

FIG. 8 is a reduced scale fragmentary view in section taken similarly to FIG. 4 of a modified dispenser using a straight tray extension.

The dispenser of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 1 through 4. It is comprised of a pair of vertical supports 22 and 24, which receive a dispenser tray generally indicated by the reference numeral 26. The serrated cutting means is indicated by the reference numeral 28.

The dispenser tray 26, as best shown in FIG. 4, is comprised of a trough portion 30, which is connected at its ends to the vertical supports 22 and 24 by means of rivets or the like 32. The trough at its front portion has an extended tray section 34 providing a rest for the web of film material as it is withdrawn. Connected to the extension 34 is an angled extension 36, which supports the serrated cutting edge 28 perpendicular to present the proper cutting angle for the web of material. The serrated cutting edge 28 is provided with individual teeth 38 to provide for the cutting or serrating of the film. A modified tray extension is shown in FIG. 8 where the extension 34 is flat and does not employ the angled end portion 36.

The dispenser is further provided with means for finding the end of the film in the next tearing operation. This is best shown in FIG. 1 where the angled extension 36 is shown to be provided with cut-out openings 40 and 42. The end of the film overlies these openings such that the operator can grasp the exposed opposite edges of the film to pull it out from the roll of material in the tearing operation.

Use

The dispenser of this invention is adapted for simple use by unskilled operators wherever they may have occasion to use the dispenser of this invention. In use a roller of plastic film, generally indicated by the reference numeral 46 in FIG. 4, is placed in the trough. An extended web of material 48 is then withdrawn with the weight of the roll maintaining the roll in the trough as the web is pulled out. The web is drawn over the cutting edge 28 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. It will be seen that the extended web presents an acute angle, i.e., substantially less than as it is pressed over the cutting edge. The operator starts the cutting operation as shown in 'FIG. 6 at one side of the web by tearing downwardly. This starts the tearing operation and the operator simply continues to present a downward tearing operation to advance the serrating or cutting of the web of material to be opposite side.

After the cutting operation is completed, the end of the web of film material connected to the roll may partially adhere to the top of the serrated cutting edge, which in itself facilitates the grasping of the end of the web in the next tearing operation. However, this is not required since the cut-out openings 40 and 42 in the angled extension of the tray provide for ready grasping of the edges of the web by the operator. This is particularly valuable in thin, cling-type, rolls of plastic film, since it is diflicult otherwise to separate the film material from a flat surface.

The serrated cutting means provided in this invention with the particular relationship of the serrated cutting edge as shown in FIG. 4 makes possible a simple tearing operation. This tearing operation is facilitated and enhanced by the relationship of the web as it is withdrawn over the cutting edge and pressed downwardly at one side of the film web. This cutting relationship is shown to be that of an acute angle with respect to the cutting edge, since tearing is otherwise diflicult to effect where a simple perpendicular or right angle relationship is involved. Accordingly, there has been provided a simple and efficient means for cutting rolls of plastic film and presenting the end of the connected web to the operator in the next tearing operation.

The dispenser may be employed with either the tray extensions of FIG. 4 or FIG. 8. For tearing off long pieces of web material the FIG. 4 embodiment employment the angled extension 34 is particularly useful since the operator can reduce the height at which the end of the web is withdrawn. Thus, the pull out is not required to be at the high upward angle as required for the FIG. 4 embodiment.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for rolls of plastic film comprising a trough shaped receptacle receiving a roll of film, a forward film rest wall extending upwardly from said trough,

serving as a rest for a web of the film extending from said roll, and means for serrating said film at the forward end of said forward wall, said serrating means comprising a saw-toothed serrator element having teeth directed substantially perpendicularly to said forward wall, the forward wall having an angled extension extending at a small acute angle from the forward Wall and said saw toothed serrator element extending substantially perpendicularly from the front of said extension.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 in which the angled extension diverges from the film rest wall to such a degree that the serrating edge of the serrator element is in the plane of the film rest wall to present the film from the roll to the serrating element in a perpendicular relation.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 in which the angled extension diverges from the film rest wall to such a degree that the serrating edge of the serrator element is in the plane of the film rest wall to present the film from the roll to the serrating element in a perpendicular relation, the film rest wall is provided with openings at its sides to provide a ready grasping film finding means for the overlying extended film Web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 671,083 4/1901 Hull 22590 X 1,978,154 10/1934 Benson 22553 X 2,319,071 5/1943 Mason 22546 X 2,683,641 7/1954 Larson 22546 2,878,980 3/1959 Waltz 22591 X 2,967,651 1/1961 Zackheim et al. 225 3,045,883 7/ 1962 Andrews et al 22546 X 3,144,184 8/1964 Yerkes 22553 X 3,237,826 3/1966 Ringholz et al. 22546 X 3,425,606 2/1969 Burke 226-77 F RANK T. YOST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 22590, 91 

